U.S. patent application number 15/443146 was filed with the patent office on 2018-01-04 for enhanced mycelium growth medium and method.
This patent application is currently assigned to Functional Fungi, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Functional Fungi, LLC. Invention is credited to Jordan Seth Rubin.
Application Number | 20180000013 15/443146 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60805833 |
Filed Date | 2018-01-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180000013 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rubin; Jordan Seth |
January 4, 2018 |
Enhanced Mycelium Growth Medium and Method
Abstract
The invention is a method for enhanced growth of mycelium in
culture including the key steps of seed blend choice from among
corn, rice, quinoa, chia, canihua, cumin and flax seed, germinating
the seed blend prior to inoculating the mycelium starter, and
conducting the mushroom cultivation with ORP enhanced water and
particular transmissions of sound and particularly colored light.
Mushrooms grown by such a method not only mature in 13-15 days
rather than 21 days, but have an enhanced nutritional and medicinal
profile along with absence of unwanted organism contaminants whose
unwanted overgrowth occurs during days 16-21 (or days 16-28) of
typical mushroom culture.
Inventors: |
Rubin; Jordan Seth;
(Koshkonong, MO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Functional Fungi, LLC |
Arroyo Grande |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Functional Fungi, LLC
Arroyo Grande
CA
|
Family ID: |
60805833 |
Appl. No.: |
15/443146 |
Filed: |
February 27, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62300324 |
Feb 26, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61K 36/07 20130101;
A01G 22/22 20180201; A61K 36/062 20130101; A61K 36/074 20130101;
A61K 2236/11 20130101; A23V 2002/00 20130101; C05F 11/00 20130101;
A01G 7/045 20130101; A23L 33/105 20160801; A01G 18/00 20180201 |
International
Class: |
A01G 1/04 20060101
A01G001/04; A61K 36/062 20060101 A61K036/062; A01G 16/00 20060101
A01G016/00; A61K 36/074 20060101 A61K036/074; A61K 36/07 20060101
A61K036/07; A23L 33/105 20060101 A23L033/105; C05F 11/00 20060101
C05F011/00; A01G 7/04 20060101 A01G007/04 |
Claims
1. A method of improving the growth and constitution of edible
mushrooms, comprising the steps of blending a seed-based growth
substrate containing between 3 and 8 seeds selected from the group
consisting of corn, quinoa, canihua, chia, cumin, flax seed and
rice, moistening said seed blend with enhanced ORP water,
germinating said seed-based growth substrate for between 18 and 48
hours prior to inoculating mycelium starter on said growth
substrate and growing the resulting mushrooms for 13-15 days in the
presence of one or more of the sound frequencies selected from the
group consisting of 396 Hz, 417 Hz, 444 Hz, 528 Hz, 639 Hz, 741 Hz
and 852 Hz and also in the presence of transmission of colored
light.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said seed-based growth substrate
contains one or more red, purple or black colored seeds.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said seed-based growth substrate
contains at least red canihua, red flax seed and black chia.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said seed-based growth substrate
contains at least three of purple corn, black quinoa, red quinoa,
red canihua, black chia, black cumin, red flax seed, and purple
rice.
5. The method of claim 1, where said seed-based growth substrate
contains all of purple corn, black quinoa, red quinoa, red canihua,
black chia, black cumin, red flax seed and purple rice.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said sound frequencies are
transmitted along with music containing tones corresponding to said
frequencies and further wherein said music is transmitted at a
level between 50-80 decibels.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said colored light is present at
a strength of between 250 to 3000 lumens per 25,000 square feet of
mushroom culture space and includes the colors purple, blue, green,
orange and red and shades in between (but not yellow).
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said enhanced ORP water has an ORP
value between -400 and -600.
9. The method according of claim 1, wherein said seed-based growth
substrate contains purple corn, black quinoa, red quinoa, red
canihua, black chia , black cumin, red flax seed and purple rice,
blended in the ratio of about 93% by weight purple corn with the
remaining 7% by weight being equally distributed among the other
seven seeds.
10. A mushroom product prepared according to the method of claim 1.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application claims priority to, and incorporates
herein by reference, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
62/300,324 filed 26 Feb. 2016, entitled, "Enhanced Mycelium Growth
Medium and Method."
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention pertains to substrates and methods for
mushroom growth which yield new and surprisingly improved results
in mushroom growth speed as well as nutritional and medicinal
profile.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Description of Related Art
[0003] The quiet yet spectacular growth of the medicinal and
nutritive mushroom industry is something that (at this writing) has
not come to the attention of the average educated reader in the
United States. Nutritional supplementation still tends to connote
vitamins and minerals, perhaps administered in combination form in
pills or capsules, or various "herb du jour" trends in which Ginkgo
biloba may be popular one day, and Garcinia cambogia the next.
Omega 3 fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid, glucosamine, vitamin
K.sub.2 and other nutritional supplements are widely regarded and
widely consumed--and available everywhere including the corner drug
store. Alternative health and medicinal interventions are more and
more beloved by Americans every year. Even so, when an average
American thinks Health Care, he or she does not yet immediately
think, "Mushrooms."
[0004] However, such attitudes are changing--and for good reason.
The idea of the "medicinal mushroom" is not marketing hype. No less
than the International Journal of Oncology published, in 2010, how
medicinal mushrooms have shown promise in the fight against cancer
by suppressing growth and invasiveness of human breast cancer
cells. In fact, it is instructive to view the journal citation and
abstract in its original form, as follows, and while bearing in
mind that there are countless similar journal articles in
publication of which the following is simply one example: Jiang Jl,
Sliva D., "Novel medicinal mushroom blend suppresses growth and
invasiveness of human breast cancer cells," Int J Oncol. 2010 Dec;
37(6):1529-36 (abstract) Mushrooms are an integral part of
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and have been used for
millennia to prevent or treat a variety of diseases. Currently
mushrooms or their extracts are used globally in the form of
dietary supplements. In the present study we have evaluated the
anticancer effects of the dietary supplement, MycoPhyto.RTM.
Complex (MC), a novel medicinal mushroom blend which consists of a
blend of mushroom mycelia from the species Agaricus blazei,
Cordyceps sinensis, Coriolus versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Grifola
frondosa and Polyporus umbellatus, and .beta.-1, 3-glucan isolated
from the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we show that MC
demonstrates cytostatic effects through the inhibition of cell
proliferation and cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase of highly
invasive human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231. DNA-microarray
analysis revealed that MC inhibits expression of cell cycle
regulatory genes (ANAPC2, ANAPC2, BIRC5, Cyclin B1, Cyclin H,
CDC20, CDK2, CKS1B, Cullin 1, E2F1, KPNA2, PKMYT1 and TFDP1).
Moreover, MC also suppresses the metastatic behavior of MDA-MB-231
by the inhibition of cell adhesion, cell migration and cell
invasion. The potency of MC to inhibit invasiveness of breast
cancer cells is linked to the suppression of secretion of the
urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) from MDA-MB-231 cells. In
conclusion, the MC dietary supplement could have potential
therapeutic value in the treatment of invasive human breast
cancer.
[0005] This is not to say that the health benefits of mushrooms
have gone completely unnoticed in the general population to date.
Currently, international retailer GNC sells a Mushroom Complex
nutritional supplement which contains powders and/or extracts of
Maitake, Reishi and Shiitake mushrooms. U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,866
discloses a combination of blended mushrooms in an oral supplement
composition that, upon administration, provides a method of
enhancing the immune system. Furthermore, medicinal and nutritive
mushrooms have not only their own intrinsic chemistry and
concomitant beneficial properties, they are also particularly well
suited to taking up beneficial nutrients from the substrates on
which they are grown. U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,285 discloses a method of
growing high anthocyanin content mushrooms on high anthocyanin
substrates such as purple corn, black corn, purple rice, and so on.
United States Published Patent Application No. 20150305249 takes
this beneficial-media concept to the next level and discloses that
the medium should not only contain one or more high anthocyanin
grains, those grains should be sprouted or germinated prior to
inoculation of the mycelium for cultivation. These solid technology
advances have contributed substantially to commercial nutritive and
medicinal mushroom cultivation in the United States. A need
remains, however, for an optimized mushroom growing protocol that
maximizes the desired nutritional profile and significantly speeds
mushroom growth, to enhance not only the quality and constitution
of the end product but also the absence of overgrowth of unwanted
organisms due to the improved cultivation speed and integrity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In order to meet this need, the present invention is a four
pronged mycelium culture method in which the (a) choice of seeds
for the substrate, (b) the sprouting of the seeds prior to mycelium
inoculation, and (c) the combination of hydration with a specific
type of water with (d) exposure to a particular spectrum of
light/color/sound yield new and unexpectedly improved results in
speed of mushroom growth and optimized nutritional and medicinal
profile. Mushrooms grown with the present method complete their
growth phase in 13-15 days rather than the expected 21-28 day
growth cycle typical of prior art mushroom culture. The much faster
growth, compared to prior art mushroom culture, is a benefit in
itself for practical and commercial reasons, but the speed of
cultivation reduces or eliminates overgrowth in the medium of
undesirable organisms which, in turn, enhances the purity of the
end product prepared in addition to its constitutive profile.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Because the present invention includes the four elements of
choice of seed blend, germinating the seeds, inoculating the
mycelium onto the seed blend substrate and cultivating the growing
mushrooms in the presence of a particular type of water together
with specific spectra of light/color and sound, the first order of
business is to select and prepare the seed blend. The present
mushroom growth substrate contains at least three, preferably five
and most preferably eight seeds in combination. These seeds may be
selected from the group consisting of corn (preferably purple
corn), quinoa (preferably black or red quinoa or both), canihua
(preferably red canihua), chia (preferably black chia), cumin
(preferably black cumin), flax seed (preferably red flax seed) and
rice (preferably black or purple rice). When both black and red
quinoa are combined with all the other seeds listed (either black
or purple rice), this yields an eight-seed blend. However, as few
as three choices are possible within the scope of the invention,
such as chia plus flax seed plus canihua. After the choices leading
to the desired seed blend are made, the seed blend is sprouted
according to seed sprouting techniques well known in the art.
Germination should proceed for 18-48 hours before mycelium
inoculation takes place.
[0008] While the use of colored seeds generally in mushroom growth
medium is already known, from U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,285, the
particular blend including all of corn, quinoa, canihua, chia,
cumin, flaxseed and rice (preferably in their colored versions as
described above) provides a distinct nutritional profile as well as
growth dynamic that using only one or two of these seeds cannot
provide alone. Quinoa, apart from its stature as a grain which
provides a complete protein to humans, is also high in the amino
acid lysine, and also manganese, copper, zinc and iron. Canihua
also provides complete proteins to humans and is a rich source of
iron, magnesium and calcium. Chia seeds also contain all amino
acids essential to humans and are high in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty
acids, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, myricetin,
quercetin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and
zinc. Cumin seeds are rich in iron, copper, calcium, potassium,
manganese, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Flax seeds are high in
omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids. Rice is high in thiamine,
niacin and Vitamin K. Corn is high in Vitamin C, thiamine, niacin,
riboflavin, panthothenic acid, pyridoxine, folate and choline. The
colorful versions of these seeds are all high in anthocyanins, as
well as the above-listed nutrients. Sprouting these seed mixtures
before adding the mycelium inoculant does not just take seemingly
hard, impervious encapsulated seeds and turn them into softer,
accessible sprouts, although that is indeed part of the advantage
of sprouting in the mushroom growth context. Germination also
biochemically removes barriers to bioavailability of the desirable
seed constituents, such as the undesirable phytic acid or other
antinutrients such as enzyme inhibitors, by hydrolyzing them as
part of the sprouting phenomenon. Germinating the seeds or grains
that make up the mushroom growth medium was disclosed in U.S.
Published Patent Application No. 20150305249, and yet even that
excellent method is still susceptible of further improvement. It
turns out that the present invention improves on the germination
taught by U.S. Published Patent Application No. 20150305249 not
only by using particularly powerful seed blends (see below), but
also method enhancements integral to the use of the structured
water and color/light and sound protocols discussed later in this
patent specification. Germination of the seed blends of this
invention take place by moistening the seeds in the seed blend with
structured "energized" water described below, and allowing a
germination period of between 18 and 48 hours, preferably 36 hours,
prior to inoculation with the mycelium culture.
[0009] The above-described seed blends were determined by trial and
error experimentation, with as few as three of the seeds' (chia,
flax seed and canihua) giving improved results up to the preferred
embodiment of the invention, all eight seeds', giving the greatest
enhancement of already-improved yields available possibly with only
three seeds. Upon review of the results of the trial and error
selection, however, it is apparent to the inventor what part of the
source of the substrate strength is: the incorporation of at least
two complete protein seeds (complete protein's meaning all the
essential amino acids for human consumption) combined with at least
one structural seed gives the new and unexpectedy improved yield
and purity results of the present invention. By "structural seed"
is meant a seed with a relatively high cellulose content compared
to all seeds generally, such as the cereal grains corn or rice or
the notably high fiber flax seed. By including high cellulose corn,
rice or flax seed (or all three) in the seed blend of the present
invention, together with at least two complete protein seeds, a
synergy occurs wherein the high protein substrate foments fastest
and healthiest possible mushroom culture while the high cellulose
grain provides structural integrity to the growth medium. Without
the high cellulose grain constituent in the growth medium, the
softer whole protein grains such as canihua and chia would tend to
collapse in on themselves during sprouting, under the weight of the
mycelial growth. For this structural reason, the corn, rice or flax
seed component of the present seed blend will generally be at least
50% of the seed blend, more preferably at least 65% of the seed
blend and ideally greater than 90% of the seed blend, with the one
or more seeds other than corn, rice and flax seed making up the
balance of the blend but always with at least three of the seed
types' being present. The combination of at least one cellulosic
seed (corn, rice or flax seed) together with a minimum of two high
protein seeds (chosen from quinoa, canihua or chia) is the insight
of the present invention at the heart of the selection of the seed
blend.
[0010] In addition to the improvements in seed blend selection
discussed above, the present improved yields and profiles are also
possible in part by growing nutritive and medicinal mushrooms on
the above-described sprouted seeds together with a particular type
of water, for hydration of the medium during mushroom growth, and
also with the providing of light of certain colors as well as
certain sounds defined by their frequencies.
[0011] In particular, the present method uses "structured,
energized water" with high pH, low total dissolved solids and
increased capability of oxidative redux potential (ORP). Increased
capability of OPR is achieved when oxidative redux potential of the
water is enhanced, with negative ORP values' indicating the highest
ORP capability. In the treatment of the water used to hydrate the
present mushroom culture substrates, the starting ORP of +400 is
converted to the much enhanced -400 to -600 ORP, preferably -600
ORP value, prior to use. The same water is used to moisten the seed
blend prior to germination as is used throughout mushroom culture
to hydrate and maintain the culture growth.
[0012] In addition to the structured, energized water used in the
present method, the present mushroom culture is grown while being
subject to particular presentations of sound, and light and color
frequencies. At least one or more of particular sound frequencies
are "played" to the growing mushrooms during most if not all of the
mushroom cultivation period: 396 Hz, 417 Hz, 444 Hz, 528 Hz, 639
Hz, 741 Hz and 852 Hz. In the preferred embodiment of the
invention, all of these seven sound frequencies are transmitted to
the mushroom culture in succession, at a range between 30 and 100
decibels, more preferably 50-80 decibels during 80% or more of the
mushroom culture time between mycelial inoculation and harvest.
These frequencies may be played alone or as the tonal backbone of
music transmissions which feature them. While these frequencies are
already known to have resonant match or complement with various
human tissues and brain waves and concomitant beneficial effects on
both, these frequencies have not to the inventor's knowledge ever
been used before to enhance mushroom culture. At the same time the
sound frequencies are transmitted, the mushroom culture is also
subjected to transmissions of visible light in the color ranges
"throughout the rainbow" but without yellow, namely, purple, blue,
green, orange and red and shades in between (but not yellow).
Moreover, the light transmissions in these colors should be between
250-3000 lumens, more preferably 500-2000 lumens, for every 25,000
square feet (gross) of cultivation space, with the light/color
transmission's being the only light in the room.
[0013] Except for the method steps explained in detail above, the
mushroom culture described in this specification can be for any
known edible, nutritive or medicinal mushroom species. Preferably,
the mushrooms grown with the present method will be one or more of
Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric), Armillaria mellea (Honey Mushroom),
Auricularia auricula, Auricularia polytricha, Boletus edulis (King
Bolete), Calvatia species (Puffball), Canterellus cibarius
(Chanterelle), Clitocybe nuda or Tricholoma nudum or Lepista nuda
(Blewit), Cordyceps ophioglossoides (Club-head Fungus), Cordyceps
sinensis (Caterpillar Fungus), Fomes fiomentarius (True Tinder
Polypore, Amadou), Formitopsis officinalis, Boletus officinais,
Polyporus officinalis (Quinine Conk, White agaric, agaric, purging
agaric, larch agaric), Fomitopsis pinicola (Red Belted Polypore),
Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's Conk), Ganoderma lucidum (Varnish
Conk, Ling chih, Ling qi, Ling-Zhi, Reishi), Geastrume triplex
(Earthstar), Grifola frondosa (Maitake, Hen of the Woods, Sheep's
Head), Grifola umbellata (Polyporus Sclerotium), Heterobasidion
annosum (Birch polypore), Inonotus obliquus, Poria obligua,
Polyporus obliquus (Chaga, Pilat, Clinker Polypore, Birch mushroom,
Black Birch touchwood), Fungus japonicus (Kombucha), Russula and
Lacterius species including Lacterius deliciosus (Saffron or
Orange-latex Milky, Lentinula edodes (Shiitake), Lenzites betulina
(Gilled Polypore, Kaigaratake), Morchella esculenta (Morel), Peziza
vesiculosa (Bladder Cup), Phallus impudicus (Stinkhorn), Phellinus
ignarius, Fomes ignarius, or Polyporus ignarius (False Tinder),
Piptoporus betulinus (Birch Conk or Polypore), Pleurotus ostreatus
(Oyster Mushroom, Hiratake), Polyporus squamosus (Dryad's Saddle),
Pycnoporus Sanguineus, Trametes cinnabarina (Red Polypore),
Schizophyllum commune (Split-Gill), Suilus luteus (Slippery Jack),
or Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail). However, this list of
suitable culinary and medicinal mushrooms is not exhaustive, and
the present method grows virtually any edible (or extract-edible)
fungus with the improved profiles, speed and purity described
herein.
[0014] Although the invention has been described in detail in the
previous passages of this specification, the following examples are
illustrative.
EXAMPLE 1
[0015] A seed blend containing purple corn, black quinoa, red
quinoa, red canihua, black chia , black cumin, red flax seed and
purple rice was blended in the ratio of about 93% by weight purple
corn with the remaining 7% by weight being equally distributed
among the other seven seeds. The seed mix was moistened with -600
ORP water and incubated for germination for 36 hours prior to
inoculation with Cordyceps sinensis mycelium starter. The substrate
was irrigated with the same -600 ORP water throughout mushroom
cultivation and from the time of inoculation to the time of
mushroom harvest the room containing the mushroom culture contained
no transmissions of light or sound other than music containing the
tone frequencies of 396 Hz, 417 Hz, 444 Hz, 528 Hz, 639 Hz, 741 Hz
and 852 Hz maintained at or below 60 decibels and visible light
transmission of about 1000 lumens per 25,000 square feet of
cultivation space in the color ranges "throughout the rainbow" but
without yellow, namely, purple, blue, green, orange and red and
shades in between. The Cordyceps sinensis grown with this protocol
was initially expected to grow during a period of 21 days, but in
fact matured in 13 days with concomitant antiproliferation of
unwanted competing organisms (the benefit of which is commercially
and nutritionally huge).
EXAMPLE 2
[0016] The same mushroom culture method as described in Example 1
is carried out again, but this time the inoculated mycelium is
Ganoderma lucidum, not Cordyceps sinensis, and the eight seed blend
was replaced with a five seed blend containing purple corn, purple
rice, red flax seed, red canihua and black black quinoa. About 65%
by weight of the seed blend is purple corn and the remaining seeds
are distributed evenly among the remaining 35% by weight
distribution of the seed blend. Germination in advance of
inoculation, and growth of the mycelium inoculum to finished
mushrooms, continues according to Example 1.
EXAMPLE 3
[0017] The same mushroom culture method as described in Examiner 1
is carried out again, but this time the inoculated mycelium is
Armillaria mellea and the seed blend for the substrate contains 50%
red flax seed, 25% black chia and 25% red canihua.
[0018] Although the invention has been described with particularity
above, with reference to particular ingredients and method steps
and other specifics, the invention is only to be limited insofar as
is set forth in the accompanying claims.
* * * * *